11 DIY Christmas Holiday Decorations: From Wine Corks to Walnut Reindeer

These DIY Christmas holiday decorations run from free pantry scraps to a small craft supply order, and the one that fits your space depends on whether you want something for the tree, the wall, or the porch.

A wire star built on a wooden frame with bent nails and drilled pilot holes needs headroom and a hook rated for real weight, while paper mason jar cutouts backed with photos stay light enough for a classroom string.

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1. Wine Cork Sled Ornament

A sled built from wine corks ranks among the simplest ways to turn last month’s dinner party into this year’s tree story.

The base is corks glued lengthwise with a second cork across for runners, then twigs for skids and something striped for twine.

I have seen versions with cinnamon sticks lashed on as cargo, which reads more finished than leaving the deck bare.

The appeal is in the scale: small enough to hang, rough enough to look handmade without looking careless. Kids can manage the gluing; adults might care about aligning the runners straight so it actually sleds if set on a mantel.

Thin craft glue holds fine, though wood glue buys you a year or two more of knocking around the ornament box.

2. Miniature Gingerbread Ornaments

Crocheted gingerbread men hang better than they stand, which is why they belong on branches. A tight stitch holds the shape, brown thread blanketing the body, with a simple face stitched in and a loop at the head for hanging.

This is the sort of project that fills evenings after the kids are down, not one that finishes in a single sitting.

If you bake the real dough version with kids, the baking soda clay from the accounts I found dries lighter and cracks less, though it does need overnight drying before anyone draws on it.

Either way, scale is the charm: small enough to read as ornaments rather than toys.

3. Homemade Birdseed Ornaments

Birdseed ornaments hang heavy and feed something after the season ends, if you remember to move them out. A heart shape needs a mold to set in, then twine embedded before the mix dries hard enough to unmold.

Check your gelatin or peanut butter binder for allergies if classroom hands are helping; I have seen schools default to flour paste for this reason alone.

The finished ornament weathers poorly indoors long-term, so plan on either a tree spot leading straight outside or a short display. What cost them their permanence buys them their purpose.

4. Wire Star Ornament

A wire star this size, meant to suspend from a ceiling and carry baubles beneath, starts with a wooden frame and nails bent to hold wire.

The lit result shows wrapped points, bulbs threaded through, with weight hung from the center and each tip.

Drilling pilot holes in the wood base matters more than the wire gauge you choose; the template sets the angle, and rushing that part throws the whole shape off.

I would size this for a porch or a room’s corner rather than a tree, since it needs headroom and a hook rated for more than a branch.

Smaller versions skip the wood entirely, but then they do not carry the same load of hanging ornaments.

5. Mason Jar Ornaments

Paper mason jar cutouts backed with photos give a project’s nostalgia without the glass.

Glitter and pom-pom snow fill the blank spots, though I would seal any loose sparkle with a thin coat of glue or Mod Podge so it does not shed through January.

Actual jars filled and hung need real lids wired shut, and the weight limits where they can go. This paper version stays light enough for paper branches or a classroom string.

6. DIY Pom Pom Wreath

A pom pom wreath built to look like Santa’s face commits to the color scheme for the full round: red cap on top, white beard below, flesh tone center, plus whatever greenery you pin on for contrast.

The wreath form underneath is standard; what changes is the density of pom poms packed to hide it entirely.

Making that many by hand is the hidden labor, which is why I notice the photo uses 2 sizes, large for the hat and small for texture in the beard, likely from a pom pom maker set rather than fork-wound balls.

The painted wood face center is a separate piece glued on last, so if the expression goes wrong you restart the small cutout, not the whole wreath.

I would hang this where it backs against a door or wall; viewed from the side, pom pom wreaths read as plush upholstery, not facial features.

7. Burlap Angel Ornament

Burlap angels sit light on branches and the texture reads handmade without trying hard. The body is burlap cut to shape, stuffed enough to hold form, with wings layered from the same or a lighter weave.

Lace and small pearl beads dress it up; skip them and you keep the rustic side. Jute twine wraps the head for hair, or you could leave that bare too.

Kids manage the cutting and gluing fine, though the lace placement needs adult patience if you want symmetry. I would wire the loop rather than glue it; burlap gives, and a season of hanging tests any adhesive.

8. DIY Mercury Glass Ornaments

Mercury glass lives in the contrast: bright base, mottled dark patches where the silvering failed, which is exactly what you paint on.

Clear ornaments get their color from the inside, acrylic craft paint thinned with water, swirled and poured out, then a mist of water and vinegar on the outside to speckle the finish black before it sets.

Working inside the globe keeps the gloss; outside painting goes matte.

Test your mix on a few ornaments before committing a whole set; color and finish vary more than the bottle suggests. This is a batch project: once the paint is mixed, the rhythm carries you through a dozen.

9. Jingle Bell Ornaments

Jingle bell ornaments ring when the tree moves, which is either charming or maddening depending on your household.

The fillable kind starts with a clear globe split at its seam; inside go bells, pom poms, a curl of tinsel, whatever reads from across the room.

Silver bells with red bows hung straight on the branch stay simpler and lighter.

Either way, weight is the limit: pile in too many bells and the branch sags. I would glue the seam shut on fillable ones; the snap-fit holds for storage, not for curious hands or cats.

10. Cinnamon Stick Christmas Trees

Cinnamon stick trees build upward in layers, each stick shorter than the one below, tied to a central rod with twine and a dot of hot glue.

The smell is real and lasts the season, stronger if you refresh the glue gun end against fresh cut ends.

Buttons press in as ornaments, small ones so they do not overbalance the narrow shape. Berries or other small accents usually get glued after the structure stands, not during.

This is a table project, not a tree hanger: the base needs a wood slice or a lump of clay to stay upright. Kids tie; adults manage the glue gun.

11. DIY Walnut Reindeer Tree Ornament

Walnut shell reindeer use the natural seam as a backbone, 2 halves joined with felt ears and antlers cut to shape, a ribbon scarf hiding the glue line.

The shell’s own color is the coat; paint is unnecessary and would chip.

Felt antlers need stiffness, so I would use craft felt at least 2 mm thick or double-layer it. A narrow strip of felt in a bright color, tied like a scarf, gives enough contrast against the brown shell and tan felt.

These are small, light, fine for any branch that holds a glass ball. Gathering whole walnuts is the slow part; bought halves work if the shell is not too thin to drill for hanging.

Budget-friendly Materials

Wine corks, burlap scraps, and walnut shells are materials you likely already store rather than buy. Peanut butter from the pantry works as binder in birdseed ornaments; flour paste substitutes if allergies are a concern.

Cinnamon sticks and buttons for the layered trees cost little in bulk, and a single pack of clear fillable globes carries multiple ornament projects.

The mercury glass technique needs only craft paint thinned with water, plus vinegar from the kitchen. Where you do buy, a pom pom maker set saves hours against fork-winding, though the fork costs nothing.

Go green this Christmas and decorate with recycled products from around your house.

— Good Morning America

Family-friendly Activities

Kids manage the gluing on wine cork sleds and the cutting for burlap angels. Baking soda clay for miniature gingerbread needs overnight drying, which builds patience better than instant results.

For birdseed ornaments, check your binder choice against classroom allergy lists before any group starts. Wire the hanging loop on finished pieces; glue fails after a season of handling.

Simple Crafting Techniques

Most of these projects run on glue, cutting, and tying.

Hot glue sets cinnamon stick layers fast; thin craft glue suffices for cork sleds, though wood glue adds durability. A pom pom maker set speeds what would otherwise be the slowest step in wreath building.

Natural Elements in Decor

Cinnamon stick trees carry their own scent through the season, stronger when you refresh against cut ends.

Walnut shells need no paint since their natural color serves as the reindeer’s coat. Twigs form sled skids, wood slices anchor tree bases, and felt at 2 mm thickness gives antlers enough body.